Melissa+RichardsonLBF

** The survey responses were viewed in its entirety and via the filters. Each open-ended response was scanned for similar, different, and unique responses as I jotted down notes of my findings. The filters were used to compare responses by genders about boring and fun experiences in each category and the kind of activities experienced. The data presented a great deal of interesting information in regards to the types of activities that were boring and the types of activities that were fun. Some of the following were revealed:  ·  The setting of the fun and boring experiences did take place in similar places, like on-line or in the classroom, but fun experiences extended into a variety of settings.  ·  Most of the questions were answered by those who were working on or completed a degree.  ·  Instructors played a part in how boring or fun the experience was for the learner.  ·  Learning opportunities not expected and expected in both types of experiences were viewed slighlty differently by males and females.  ·  Male and female learners described fun experiences that included interaction with others, the instructor, and artifacts. Responses were either detailed or short depending on the level of boring and fun experiences. **What Makes Learning Boring?** 1. **The instruction model was not conducive to engaged learning or high-order thinking.** 73.6% were expected to sit still through long periods of lectures by the instructor or PowerPoint presentations. Lecturing is a model used mostly in universities and high school classrooms. However, it shouldn't be the sole model of instruction. If students aren't engaged then application of the skill cannot happen. According to Edgar Dale's "Cone of Learning" verbal receiving is passive and accounts for remembering 20% of what we hear and 30% of what we see. Most responded with drab comments concerning lecturing "did not make the material come alive, no stories, no fun facts. Just stood there and talked.", "You don't just stand and talk to a bunch of 15/16-year-olds in the hopes that they'll learn something from your rambling." - Bacon, "Worksheets every single day... a lecture followed with board examples and then the assigned work from the text book along with another worksheet...we had to do the work without any help." -Bob R. Instruction that lacks engaging activities sets the scene for poor learning by the students. Instruction must have a beating heart that can take on many different engaging routes.
 * Executive Summary

2. **The instructor's lacked in making connections with the learners and the topic, unwelcoming, and not interested.** Poor leadership can drive instruction into the ground. If the instructor is not engaged then the learner won't be engaged. The following responses were provided. They paint portraits of instructors who lacked the skills needed to encourage and excite students to learn.

"The leaders of the exercise did not give enough background on the topic or the purpose of the exercise" - Maggie

"Everyone was afraid of the teacher because he appeared to get angry when asked questions."

"Ms. Anthony just sat at her desk and read from the book for a whole hour. we had to just sit and listen.- Ms. D's student

"The presenter was speaking about the subject matter with minimal eye contact. It seems as if the presenter was more focused on getting through the material than interacting with the audience." Kaybee

It is the instructor's duty to make learning interesting for the audience.

3. **The type of instruction provided made it difficult for learners to assimilate the information.** A new skill can be difficult to learn if proper instruction is not provided. The instructor should be willing to make modifications for the learners, so that everyone is successful. The instructor must evaluate their instruction. In addition, the instructors should use student feedback to help make decisions in using instruction that allows students to become proficient or exemplary at the skill/lesson. Some of those surveyed explained the following scenarios they encountered.

"The poem made no sense to me and I didn't know what half the words even meant..asking what a word meant and was told that vocabulary was not part of the lesson and to get back on track. I was lost from that point on."

"The tour progressed at a set pace...You could not skip something that didn't interest you or spend more time at something that did, otherwise you would be left behind."

"We were asked to bring our laptops to work, but the information presented rapidly so much so that it was difficult to follow the steps" - Meric

4. **Instructional tools were poor or not interesting, causing learning to be stagnant.** Appropriate instructional tools can help compliment instruction. If tools are not working properly or are not appropriate for the lesson it becomes an distraction like Bacon's experience, "She was unable to properly focus the document camera so the font was unfocused and too small so no one was really motivated to pay that much attention." Gathering the appropriate instructional tools should be part of lesson preparation. Heather said the instructor did the following: "Asked one student to be the example to fill in a chart. The chart was messy and I don't know what his point was." The lesson should be memorable and allow the learner to take away information that can be applied, not the memory of poor use of instructional tools.

5. **Little interaction with peers, the instructor or manipulatives/artifacts.** Most surveyed rated interacting with their peers 2.1%, instructor 2.1 % and using manipulatives 10.6% as not being expected in the boring activity. Some responses included: "computer project..No peer interaction. no supervision" "During the class, students were not encouraged to interact with the instructor or other students." "There was no way to connect the information. There was no interaction, there was nothing to engage my brain except taking notes which I could do without really thinking."

Interacting with peers, artifacts, and the instructor means allowing extra time, discussion, and activities. For some instructors this may feel like giving up some of their "power", allowing for the class to explore on their own. However, interaction allows the learner to rethink their ideas, create new ideas, and form lasting ideas about the topic/skill. In addition, if the instructor expects the learner to interact then the student may become interested in a topic/skill that they may have not been, had it not been for interacting with their peers, instructor, and manipulatives/artifacts. 1. **Real-world experiences provide authentic, fun learning.** When describing fun experiences, participants described learning and creating using objects and materials that are used in real-life. Real-life experiences allow the learner to create connections with the experience. These connections provide comfort, enjoyment, and enrichment for the learner. When connections are made the learner can better apply the information they have received and build or add additional information to their prior knowledge bank. Some respondents examples included: constructing hurricane proof houses that were tested using wind from a fan and leaf blower - Mr. Excitement and a mock presidential rally, where students took on the role of an actual candidate (stating why they were best for a job and researching and giving a speech as the candidate) - Lindz
 * What Makes Learning Fun? **

Instructors that were knowledgeable, excited about the topic, and interacted with the audience helped set the learning environment.

2. **The Instructor's approach encourages a fun, learning environment.** When describing the fun lesson, the way the instructor interacted with the students was a main factor for about 39% of the respondents. “He was friendly and approachable.” - Jazz cat “intelligence, critical thinking, and fantastic sense of humor” - Astrologer Tany “Teacher took time for each individual…interaction with classmates and instructor - Linda K. When instructors make the information palatable and relevant novice or advanced learners are eager to learn more. Allowing the learner to assimilate and apply information in a setting where the instructor encourages and allows problem-solving is an effective approach in instruction.

3. **Hands-on learning opportunities help learners apply knowledge and skills.** Around 70% of male and female learners expressed their excitement to build, act out, and use tools to learn when providing reasons for learning was fun. They expressed that this type of instruction helped them in understanding the information presented. Teacher24 said, "I liked immediately being able to use each feature of the program as it was being explained." Lindz expressed the following, " It was fun to get to perform for others. We were able to put the research we had to complete to actual use. It seemed to have value." "I felt like I learned something I could use right away and was in fact applying it in the class. I was given the freedom to apply it creatively too." was expressed by Lightninglbast. Hands-on learning encourages problem-solving. The student can adjust their action to create an optimal result. Hands-on learning is a teaching strategy that can be used with all ages and grade levels. Instruction is brought to life as well as the learners. Craig L. sums it up best, "The experience was hands-on, and it was multi-layered. We learned in a unique way (not books, or even videos -- it was like being in a video)."

4. **An appropriate setting for instruction allows uninterrupted assimilation.** Learning in the actual setting gives the instructor a platform on which to present the information. The setting can help the learner make connections about the why and how of the lesson. "We got to walk on the same field as the Confederate soldiers had walked. We got to dress-up in soldier uniforms, play the part of a soldier, be outside, and share an experience that connected us to the actual battle" was expressed by Ecuakatie. In this case the learners were able to relive events from the past in the actual setting. Allowing the learner to experience learning within an appropriate setting brings it all to life. Booby said, "Outdoor, real-life setting, provided vivid, living examples of plants that we otherwise would have had merely to memorize." Scott shares a similar experience "We were outside in the park, running around measuring stuff. It was an engaging and motivating task." Krest saw improvement of his rock-climbing skill in the beginning and end of the class. A catered setting allows students to focus and concentrate on the information/skill without great distraction.

5. **Challenging activities encourage students to learn.** Challenges bring forth critical-thinking. The learner must constantly evaluate their actions so that they can meet the end goal. Challenges can make learners want to find out more about the topic or skill on their own. Some responses included "It was challenging. We had hands on experience with the thrill of the hunt and had to think very hard about how we should behave in order to survive." Fannie Mae "I think it was the challenge and the open-ended experience that was offered. Nothing was the same and "our teacher always questioned our reasoning and challenged us." When learners are givrn appropriate challenges within instruction, they can begin to form their own ideas about the topic and find solutions that they may have not thought of before without being challenged. Challenges allow for the kind of thinking that is over and beyond memorization. **Implications** The survey has helped me in cementing some of my previous ideas about instruction. 1) When preparing a lesson, it is important to provide a setting that compliments the instruction. The setting is one way that the student can make connections to what is being taught. 2) Provide real-world opportunities for students using hands-on activities. Real-world experiences can help the student answer the question, "Why is this important to me?" In creating future lessons I will continue to evaluate the connection the lesson has to the real-world. From there I can then begin assembling the materials needed to make sure that the lesson is authentic and meaningful. 3) When designing a lesson I want to make sure that there are appropriate challenges for a variety of learners. I was excited to hear that people enjoy being challenged. It's encouraging. The described challenges have gotten my wheels to turn. I want to challenge students in thinking outside the box and being adventurous when creating. The survey was enlightening and I enjoyed reading ways in which teachers have made learning spectacular.